$20,000

A buddy of mine, Joseph Cross, was sitting in his Lakeland, Florida home, reading a magazine and waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. When he told me what happened to him last Friday, it got me thinking of what I would do.

Someone called Joseph and said he would be paid $20,000 to go warn a guy named Miles Langston that he was going to be punched in the skull.

Of course I laughed, but Joseph was dead serious. So my next thought was that it was just a hoax.

Nevertheless, the offer was real. Twenty grand, along with a picture of Miles Langston was in a box at Joseph’s front door.

“What would you do?” Joseph asked me.

Several questions raced through my head. The first was, “Why would someone pay $20,000 for such a simple request?” Like most things in this world, it seemed like some sort of scam. The strange thing was that the money was actually at his front doorstep. Also, it wasn’t like Miles Langston was going to be killed. (Whoever he was.) Miles was just going to be punched in the skull.

“Do you need the money?” I asked Joseph. It was a stupid question, I know, but my mind could not wrap around this situation.

“It would pay off some bills,” Joseph told me. “My girlfriend and I want to get married. $20,000 would certainly help with that.”

It appeared that my friend was at least considering his options. Who wouldn’t? But it was like someone on the street trying to give away a hundred dollar bill. No one would take the money, fearing there would be a catch. “Who was the guy that called and left the money at your front door?” I asked.

“No idea,” Joseph sighed. “I don’t even know a Miles Langston or where he is?”

That surprised me. “You didn’t ask?”

“No. And because I did not ask, it seemed to aggravate the guy who called me.”

“I would think so,” I said. A thought popped in my head. “So you do not know Miles Langston and you cannot locate him now if you tried. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Joseph replied.

“Can you get in touch with the guy who called you?”

“No. He contacted me from a payphone and is long gone.”

“And you still have the money?”

“Yes.”

“What happens if you ignore the guy and keep the money?”

“Not sure,” Joseph said. “Should I call the police and give it to them?”

That sounded logical, but with one small problem. “What if this guy comes looking for his money?” Joseph did not answer. “You can wait to see if he calls you back,” I suggested. “But even he does and you find out where Miles Langston is, are you going to go through with it?”

“That’s why I am talking to you,” Joseph said. “What would you do?”

It took me a few moments to respond. After all, I did not want my good friend to be hurt or at the very least, scammed in some way. “If all you have to do is warn Miles Langston that he will be punched in the skull and you get to keep the twenty grand, and there is nothing else you have to do, then I guess it’s okay; aside from the fact that I’m assuming you are not going to report the money to the IRS.”

“They get enough of my money,” Joseph replied with a nervous chuckle.

“Exactly.”

Joseph got in touch with me later that night. The guy that contacted him, indeed called back. However, Joseph turned down the offer. “I just couldn’t do it,” he said to me.

“Now what?” I asked.

What ended up happening to Joseph was amazing and terrifying at the same time. In fact, being a writer, I decided to tell his story. You can read about it at www.upauthors.com/authors/ronknight

It was a simple request: $20,000 to warn someone that they will be punched in the skull. The cash was paid in advance. What would you do?

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